In a paper sheet depositing unit for subjecting banknotes as paper sheets to a depositing process, a transport passage has been conventionally constituted by two-directional diverters for transporting banknotes in multiple directions. When the transport passage is thus constituted by the two-directional diverters, many two-directional diverters are required to be provided, thereby causing an increase in cost or enlarging a space to be occupied.
The constitution of such a conventional banknote depositing unit is shown in FIG. 11.
In the depositing process of the conventional banknote depositing unit, banknotes, which are put in an inlet portion 1 with the banknotes piled up, pass a reject unit 2 and are transported to a feeding unit 3 as they are, are separated one by one from the feeding unit 3 and fed to a transport path 4, and recognized by a recognition unit 5 on the transport path 4.
Banknotes each recognized as a normal banknote by the recognition unit 5 are transported and escrowed in an escrow unit 6 through the transport path 4.
Banknotes each recognized as a rejected banknote such as a non-banknote by the recognition unit 5 are transported and stored in the reject unit 2 through the transport path 4, and collectively returned from the reject unit 2 to the inlet portion 1.
Banknotes each recognized as a counterfeit banknote by the recognition unit 5 are escrowed in the escrow unit 6 together with normal banknotes, fed from the escrow unit 6 to the transport path 4 in storing or returning escrowed banknotes, and then transported and stored in a taking-in box 7 through the transport path 4.
After completion of escrow of put-in banknotes, banknotes escrowed in the escrow unit 6 are fed to the transport path 4 one by one in accordance with a storing instruction from a higher-ranking machine. Banknotes, each which is recognized as a normal banknote based on the order of escrow in the escrow unit 6 among the banknotes fed one by one from the escrow unit 6, are transported and stored in either of two cassettes 8 through the transport path 4, and counterfeit banknotes are transported and stored in the taking-in box 7 through the transport path 4.
After completion of escrow of put-in banknotes, banknotes escrowed in the escrow unit 6 are fed to the transport path 4 one by one in accordance with a returning instruction from the higher-ranking machine. Banknotes, each which is recognized as a normal banknote based on the order of escrow in the escrow unit 6 among the banknotes fed one by one from the escrow unit 6, are transported and stored in the reject unit 2 through the transport path 4, and collectively returned to the inlet portion 1 from the reject unit 2, and counterfeit banknotes are transported and stored in the taking-in box 7 through the transport path 4.
Additionally, when banknotes returned to the inlet portion 1 are not taken out and remain therein, they are collected as banknotes forgotten to be taken out. That is, banknotes, which are forgotten to be taken out, in the inlet portion 1 pass the reject unit 2 with the banknotes piled up and are transported to the feeding unit 3, separated one by one from the feeding unit 3 and fed to the transport path 4, and transported and stored in the taking-in box 7 through a path dedicated to forgetting to take out 4a diverted on this side of the recognition unit 5 on the transport path 4.
Additionally, a plurality of two-directional diverters 9a to 9g are used for the transport path 4 for transporting banknotes in multiple directions. That is, the diverter 9a is disposed at a switching position of switching a transporting direction to a direction of transporting banknotes from the transport path 4 to the reject unit 2, the diverter 9b is disposed at a diverting position of diverting banknotes fed from the feeding unit 3 to the recognition unit 5 side of the transport path 4 and the path dedicated to forgetting to take out 4a, the diverter 9c is disposed at a switching position of switching a transport destination of banknotes fed from the escrow unit 6 to the transport path 4 to the cassette 8 and the taking-in box 7 side, the diverter 9d is disposed at a diverting position of diverting banknotes having passed the recognition unit 5 to the escrow unit 6 side and the reject unit 2 side, the diverter 9e is disposed at a diverting position of diverting banknotes fed from the escrow unit 6 to the transport path 4 to the cassette 8, the taking-in box 7 side and the reject unit 2 side, and the diverters 9f and 9g are disposed at a diverting position for diverting banknotes to the taking-in box 7 and each cassette 8.
As described above, in the conventional banknote depositing unit, the plurality of two-directional diverters 9a to 9g must be combined with each other for transporting banknotes in the multiple directions. Accordingly, the two-directional diverters 9a to 9g are required to be provided in accordance with the number of times of diverting or switching, thereby causing an increase in cost, and many places for providing the two-directional diverters 9a to 9g are required, thereby enlarging a space to be occupied.
Since a space to be occupied is enlarged in the conventional banknote depositing unit, the diverter 9b cannot be provided between the recognition unit 5 and the diverter 9c and is provided in front of the recognition unit 5. Thus, the path dedicated to forgetting to take out 4a used for only transporting banknotes forgotten to be taken out must be provided, thereby causing an increase in cost and the necessary space required.
Since, in taking counterfeit banknotes into the taking-in box 7, the counterfeit banknotes are stored in the escrow unit 6 together with normal banknotes with memorization of the order of storage thereof, separated from the normal banknotes when being fed from the escrow unit 6, and stored in the taking-in box 7, transport control of banknotes becomes complicated. The reason why such a constitution is adopted is that counterfeit banknotes, in the case of being directly stored in the taking-in box 7 after recognition, are required to be diverted and sent to the taking-in box 7 after being transported through the transport path 4 for a time until confirmation of a recognition result, and thus a diverter and transport path dedicated to taking in counterfeit banknotes are required, thereby causing an increase in cost and the necessary space required.
On the other hand, a constitution is known in which paper sheets can be diverted in multiple directions by one transport diverter so that the number of installation places of two-directional diverters is reduced.
For example, there exists a transport diverter in which a diverting gate is rotatably provided at a cross point of transport paths in three directions, a rotation position of the diverting gate is controlled and paper sheets can be diverted in the transport paths in the three directions (see, for example, Patent Document 1). By using the transport diverter for a banknote depositing unit, a plurality of installation places of two-directional diverters can be combined into one place and the number thereof can be reduced.
Additionally, there exists a transport diverter which has a hollow diversion unit swingably provided between a transport path on a transporting-in side, into which sheets are transported, and three transport paths on a transporting-out side for diverting transported sheets, and controls a swing position of the diversion unit to divert sheets, which are transported from the transport path on the transporting-in side, to one transport path on the transporting-out side through the inside of the diversion unit, or to the other transport paths on the transporting-out side through both side outer faces of the diversion unit (see, for example, Patent Document 2). By using the transport diverter for a banknote depositing unit, a plurality of installation places of two-directional diverters can be combined into one place and the number thereof can be reduced.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2742205 (p. 2, FIG. 2)    Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-199452 (p. 5, FIG. 5)